Driver's Seat
"Driver's Seat" is a 1978 song by the British band Sniff 'n' the Tears that appears on their debut album, Fickle Heart. The band is considered a one-hit wonder as "Driver's Seat" was their only hit. The genesis of the song dates back to 1973 and a demo tape recorded for a French record label by singer/guitarist Paul Roberts for the band Ashes of Moon. However, that band broke up and, at the suggestion of drummer Luigi Salvoni, Roberts re-formed it as Sniff 'n' the Tears with guitarists Laurence "Loz" Netto and Mick Dyche and bassist Nick South. They shopped the demo tape and signed with the small Chiswick label in 1977. According to Paul Roberts, "Driver's Seat" isn't about driving, but rather "fragmented, conflicting thoughts and emotions that might follow the break-up of a relationship". One of the key decisions in arranging the song was to start with drums and additively bring in other instruments.1 "Driver's Seat" reached number 15 on the American Billboard Pop Singles chart2 in the fall of 1979, and reached the top 10 in The Netherlands in November 1980. It reappeared at number 1 on the Dutch Top 40 eleven years later as a result of use of the song in a Pioneer commercial. Contents 1 Chart performance 2 Cover versions 3 Use in popular culture 4 References 5 External links Chart performance Chart (1979) Peak position UK Singles Chart3 42 Canadian RPM Top Singles4 17 US Billboard Pop Singles2 15 Chart (1980) Peak position Dutch GfK chart5 8 Dutch Top 406 4 Chart (1991) Peak position Dutch GfK chart5 1 Dutch Top 407 1 Preceded by "More Than Words" by Extreme Dutch Top 40 number-one single 20 July 1991 – 3 August 1991 (3 weeks) Succeeded by "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams Cover versions In 2005, Belgian dance duo DHT covered "Driver's Seat" for their first full-length album Listen to Your Heart and released it as a single under the alias Dared, reaching number 33 in the Flanders Ultratop 50.8 In late 2014, new music production company, Bandog Entertainment released a modern up tempo version of Driver's Seat as their second official release.9 Use in popular culture This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2015) The song was featured in the film Boogie Nights and snippets of the song were frequently used by Art Bell as "bumper music" during Coast to Coast AM broadcasts. It was also used in the 2008 documentary Carrier. In 2009 the song was used in a commercial for automaker Lincoln Motor Company and in 2013 in a commercial for Bank of America. In 2012, the song was used in the TV series The Walking Dead in the episode "18 Miles Out". It is partially played in the 2013 film Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. The song is the theme music for "The Car Show" on Los Angeles radio station KPFK-FM. References 1.Jump up ^ "Fickle Heart". Retrieved August 1, 2009. 2.^ Jump up to: a b "Sniff 'n' the Tears > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 1, 2009. 3.Jump up ^ "Chart Stats – Sniff 'n' the Tears – Driver's Seat". Retrieved August 1, 2009. 4.Jump up ^ "RPM Volume 32 No. 3, October 13, 1979". RPM. Retrieved August 1, 2009. 5.^ Jump up to: a b "dutchcharts.nl – Sniff 'n' the Tears – Driver's Seat" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009. 6.Jump up ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40 – Week 48, 1980" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009. 7.Jump up ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40 – Week 29, 1991" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009. 8.Jump up ^ "ultratop.be – Dared – Driver's Seat" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009. 9.Jump up ^ Wheeler-Harsh, Ben. "Behind the Scenes Production Article – Driver's Seat". http://bandogentertainment.com/. External link in |website= (help) External links Sniff 'n' the Tears' official website "Driver's Seat" at Songfacts.com Lyrics Category:British rock songs Category:1978 singles Category:1979 singles Category:1991 singles Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Category:1978 songs